RED Epic Dragon captures stunning time-lapse aurora footage

NASA has released a
stunning time-lapse video of Earth as seen in 4K quality from the
International Space Station. The video serves as a reminder of the
complex interactions constantly taking place between Earth's
atmosphere and the relentless stream of particles emanating from our
Sun.

Beyond the obvious
scientific applications of Earth imagery, stunning vistas of our planet taken
from space have become a regular feature for NASA's impressive public
outreach program. They grant a rare sense of perspective, serving as
a reminder that we are in the grand scheme is things a very small
part of a larger universe.

Earth imagery has taken
a number of sizeable leaps forward in recent years. With the successful insertion of NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory
(DSCOVR) into its operational orbit in February 2015, fresh shots of the full disk of our planet are readily available for the first time in the history of our young species, with new images uploaded every day.

In January 2015, the crew
of the ISS took receipt of a RED Epic Dragon camera. The imaging device, which
is of the same design as the camera used to film Peter Jackson's The
Hobbit trilogy, has been put to
good use bringing the public the highest resolution views of
low-Earth orbit to date.

The
camera, which is capable of filming 300 frames per second in
6K quality (6144 x 3160 pixels), had previously been used to show
the lighter side of life in space by filming Terry Virts
playing with a water bubble and an effervescent tablet (because there is no such thing as boredom in space).

To
capture footage for the newly-released video, astronaut Tim Peak
secured the Epic Dragon to the interior of the ISS's Cupola.
From this position the camera recorded several time-lapse videos that
were edited together to form the new release. The time-lapse
shows the spin of the Earth relative to the station bringing into
view stunning aurorae, city lights and sporadic thunderstorms.